I loved this commentary posted on Education Week. It talks about the importance of giving students unstructured time on a regular basis, and expanding recess or time for physical activity. As the author states, "Kids are built to move. Having more time for unstructured outdoor play is like handing them a reset button." This author also spent six weeks in Finland studying their education system. They seem to be achieving greater success with less class time, and more built in natural breaks. This is worth reading.

This is a quick way to compare different blogging platforms that can be used with students in the classroom. Seventh and eighth grade teachers have had a lot of success with Edublogs at Parker, and we've been looking into beginning blogs with the sixth graders. I've also heard good things about Blogger, from Google, and wonder if others have used it? The students already have Google accounts and use Google Drive regularly to save and revise writing assignments. I believe it's also free, which is the right price in the world of public education, but often free accounts also come with limits. Curious to hear about others' experiences.

Nothing earth shattering in this article, but a good reminder to think outside the box when it comes to asking students to demonstrate understanding of what they're reading. I love the movie trailer idea, and the kids have shown they can do some amazing things with iMovie. I'm also interested in exploring some of the apps that the author says would allow students to put characters into new settings - it may be a neat way for them to demonstrate deep understanding of character's personality and motives.

This powerful spoken word video was one of Edutopia's "8 EduWins of 2013." As an educator, it made me think about the messages that I give to my students on a daily basis, and how important it is that we don't just fall into the trap of the way things have always been done. Students today need to see the relevance of their learning; they want to know how and when they will apply skills and information. Worth watching.

I came across this on Feedly through Free Technology for Teachers. It's a weekly series of short videos that highlight interesting/important events that took place during the same week in history. Topics range from serious/somber events to record breaking, such as this week's titled, "Chuck Yeager Breaks the Sound Barrier." Worth checking out....

I know many teachers already use QR codes regularly, but I'm just getting started and enjoyed looking through this teacher's ideas. I especially love the student responsibility calendar.

For those of us who are teachers of writing, or participating in the Writers' Workshop training this year, here is a resource that may be helpful as we navigate teaching the literary essay. This comes from a Michigan school district, but is based on the Writers' Workshop model. This particular unit is sixth grade, but it lists expectations and areas of focus for a range of grade levels. Teachers can also find resources for various grade levels by searching around the main site. I love that it also outlines several useful mentor texts. I haven't read them yet, but certainly plan to as I start my planning of the literary essay unit.

TED-Ed was mentioned in at least two different workshops I attended at MassCue. We're all familiar with TED Talks; this takes a similar idea and moves it towards kid-friendly videos, lessons, and quick assessments. One example that I saw was a third grade teacher using a YouTube video (which works along with TED-Ed) about the phases of the moon for the students to watch at home. The website includes a "Flip this Video" button so that teachers can assign a short video for students to watch at home, along with quiz questions as they watch. This could be a great tool for flipping the classroom. Each time I heard it mentioned, the presenters commented on the quality of videos. In addition to using YouTube videos, TED-Ed is pairing up good teacher lessons with animators and visual artists to create a video library that teachers can access for free. I believe you can also suggest or submit a lesson idea that they will consider for a future video. Definitely worth checking out. The URL listed above takes you to a short video explaining the website.

Here's a short article from NPR on a bookless public library opening in Texas. I think as we see more of this, it brings up mixed feelings and conversation. I'm wondering if this is where all libraries are headed eventually? I'm a person who has an e-reader (Nook) and loves using it, but I still like to read from an actual book from time to time. I'm wondering if the younger generations will feel the same, or if they won't know any different? To me, there's something comfortable and warm about a room, or a building, with lots of books in it. I can't picture classrooms, especially those of young children without books on the shelves, or teachers reading to kids on the rug. I wonder what other people think. Technology has definitely changed our lives and is taking us to new places all the time, but could the changes be too much, too fast?